


An Unquenchable Thirst Teases the Lips

by Genkai



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M, Gen, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 23:05:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2086536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genkai/pseuds/Genkai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taking place after "The Host" Jean-Luc and Beverly cross paths after Odan has left. Both can't sleep and find solace in a trip to Ten Forward for a drink, their minds are more connected than they think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unquenchable Thirst Teases the Lips

**Author's Note:**

> I've been on the hunt for a good Jean-Luc for my Beverly (RP) and have yet to find one so I've decided to try my hand at a light story about them. I'm new to the ST TNG universe so I'm keeping it short and sweet. Maybe I'll be able to do a long term story with them at some point but right now this is a good distraction from an essay I'm also writing. Enjoy.

Her heart was still sore after the encounter with Odan, the Symbiote who Beverly had fallen in love with. Their affair together had been surprisingly quick but the chemistry was undeniable. It had been a while since Dr. Crusher had been able to connect with someone while still keeping her head above water. While she knew Odan was only a passing love, she couldn't help but get carried away. She was lonely. Her son was busy at the Academy and her work could only entertain her so much. Then there was the complicated relationship she and Captain Picard shared.

Sure, Beverly could have all the dreams and fantasies she wanted but she knew he was beyond her grasp.

He was a good friend. A very good friend.

Jean-Luc was just that and as much as her heart would want something more, Beverly knew it wasn't a possibility.

Odan was handsome and intuitive and generous. He and Picard shared some similarities but Beverly had been more than content to have Odan's arms around her, rather than Picard's. But things grew complicated when Odan went from Commander Riker's body to finally, a female one. It made Beverly see things differently and pulled her out of her fantasy with Odan, and set her firmly back in reality, where Jean-Luc was a concerned friend, trying to look out for her. 

In the end, the changes were too much for the redhead and Odan left, just as she knew he would. That night Beverly found herself unable to get to sleep. Tossing and turning were doing nothing for her, except messing up her hair. The woman got up and paced around her quarters, a frown very much present on her lips. It felt empty without Odan. Everyone felt colder and she found herself even more lonely now, than before Odan had come into her life. Sighing, she got dressed quickly and headed out for a prowl around the Enterprise.

Meanwhile, another resident was having trouble getting to sleep.

In this case, the resident was Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. 

The bald brave Captain had also been through an emotional whirlwind when Odan came aboard his ship. Odan and Beverly Crusher seemed to develop a relationship rather quickly and Picard couldn't help but note that he was seeing less of her. It bothered him. He wished it didn't. He wished he could be sincerely happy for the woman who had lost so much. He wished he could be a friend to her without his heart getting in the way of logic. Alas, Jean-Luc couldn't let go of his feelings for the doctor.

He was jealous that Odan could sweep Beverly off her feet and yet Jean-Luc felt he couldn't, that such a relationship wouldn't be right, that their jobs could be in jeopardy. He loved his position as Captain of the Enterprise and he knew Beverly worked hard to get where she was. Jean-Luc didn't want to dig up old memories or destroy their friendship. So he had to force himself to be supportive of Beverly because he was well aware that she would be happy with someone other than him. Perhaps Odan.

When Odan did come to see Jean-Luc, he couldn't help but become protective of Beverly.

Something didn't sit right with Jean-Luc but he knew he had no right to interfere or meddle. Much to his dismay, Odan made things complicated while trying to mediate an important negotiation. In the end, all he knew was that Odan's constant changes in a host had damaged their relationship and that Odan left without Beverly. On one hand, he was relieved to see the relationship finally terminated but on the other hand, he wished Beverly's feelings could have been spared. He could only imagine how hard it had been on his friend who had finally felt safe enough to herself out there.

The Bridge was being watched by another shift and yet Picard was still seen roaming the endless halls and turbolifts. He wandered into Ten Forward and took a seat at the bar. Guinan was working though it appears her own shift would be over soon. It was rather late. "Captain, I rarely share your company, especially at this hour." She commented. "Earl Grey?" She asked him, knowing his typical poison of choice.

"No thank, perhaps something different tonight." He waved a hand at her. "Vulcan Port." He said, going for something very different. Guinan said nothing and went to get him some from the replicator. As he waited, he looked around. The bar was mostly empty, and he was about to turn back to tend to his drink when he spotted Beverly who had just wandered in. His instinct was to reach out and offer her his company but he restrained himself.

She took notice of him and she smiled. If he had caught her staring, she might have sat by the window by herself.

But she didn't want to be rude and walked over. She took a seat beside Jean-Luc and Guinan then set down a second cup of Vulcan Port. The color was so pretty, Beverly wouldn't feel bad at all if she just stared at it all night. Guinan left them alone, hoping they could talk about what was on their minds. "I'm sorry about you and Odan, that things didn't work out better." He spoke up as he put the glass to his lips and took a taste. The smooth richness tingled on his lips, allowing the usually guarded man to slowly lower his barriers.

"I knew things wouldn't last with him." Beverly admitted as she kept her eyes on her cup, her hands curling around it gently. 

He felt silent and he found words failing him. He had the woman of his dreams right next to him and yet so far out of his grasp. She seemed so crest-fallen and yet there was a part of him who felt guilty for being happy that Odan was gone. The topic was a dangerous one but Jean-Luc felt opportunities like this wouldn't happen often, "I feel as though it's been so long since we've been able to chat." He commented.

"I know." She sighed heavily and licked her lips. "I've been so preoccupied with Odan." She finally looked to Jean-Luc. "I knew I was wasting my time with him but I was happy."

"I know." He took another drink to distract himself.

"I've missed you though, our time together." She found herself admit as she finally took a drink from her own glass. "I never thought I'd run into you here, of all places..."

"As Captain of this ship, it's my duty to make sure all areas are operating accordingly." He smiled to her and took another drink as she did. Beverly smiled at him and shook her head a little. The loneliness was fading away, replacing her frown with a smile. The pair continued to drink, the anxiety between them faded away as they chatted lightly about work and everything else. Even after their Vulcan Port had been finished, they were still sitting at the bar. 

There were so many things swimming in Jean-Luc's head at this point, things he wanted to tell her, things which would cross the line. But he held his tongue once again, only flicking it against his lips as Beverly said, "I'd like to think marriage is in my future but I just don't know. I feel as though I've had my fairy tale already, and while it didn't end perfectly, I still have a great son and a great job." She sighed, her elbow on the bar, her hand holding her chin. 

It didn't surprise him that Beverly was hesitant about getting married, though it only reminded him that they still could make one another happy, that things weren't over yet. That he'd love to be the one to take care of her, that someday they could be something more than friends. "I could see you remarrying." He told her, though he failed to mention that he saw her across from him, getting married, dressed in a beautiful dress, those blue eyes staring back at his own. "You're entitled to more than one fairy tale, Beverly." He smiled at her.

She smiled even wider and glanced off.

"I just don't know." Beverly sighed and looked back to him, the taste of the Port still on her lips. She knew she should try and get some sleep. Perhaps the liquor would aid in her getting some rest, forget about the ghost of Odan and every other man she thought she loved but ended up losing. "I should go bed, you should too, Captain." She got up from the bar.

Picard got up with her and looked around. Ten Forward was now empty, the temptation was hitting him hard, taking his breath away.

"Perhaps I should make sure that you get back alright." He offered.

"I haven't had that much to drink, Jean-Luc." She smiled, her face was slightly flushed but she was by no means at the point of getting lost or falling over. 

He had to be careful. He knew that.

"Alright, goodnight Beverly." He resigned and leaned in to give her a hug. She slipped her arms around his firm form and pressed her lips to the side of his face. Picard closed his eyes and held her close. He had done his best to protect her from Odan and the heartbreak he knew Odan would cause. And yet her heart still broke, even just a little. He could almost feel the weight of her lonely heart, mirroring his own. She was quite resilient and he had no doubt that she would be alright.

Beverly relaxed in his arms and let out a shaky sigh, one she had been holding back ever since Odan kissed her wrist and walked out of her life. It was cruel to want someone who was always in her life, and yet not the man she could retreat to at the end of the day. Because at the of the day, Jean-Luc was her Captain, and couldn't be anything more. She let go and he repaid her by kissing her on the cheek, just as she had done to him. Beverly felt the icy locks on her heart melt and shatter all at once. She knew if she didn't go now, her lips might be tasting more than Port.

"Goodnight." She carefully said and turned around, summoning her will to walk away, even if it went against everything she wanted.

Jean-Luc watched her leave and he felt himself wanting a drink again, but it wouldn't be anything he'd get from a replicator.

No.

What he wanted was what he'd never get.

He soon headed back to his own quarters and it was then that all the words he wanted to say, came spilling out. "It hurt me to see you with him, to have you avoid me in the process. I know I don't deserve you, I know I've harbored these feelings for so long and that they would only cause you pain but I do love you. I care about you so much, Beverly." He sat down on his bed and removed his maroon jacket. "I think about you more often than I'd care to admit. In my heart, I can see us becoming something more and being so happy together. Some days I'm not content to make you laugh in the halls or pay you a visit in Sickbay. Some days I want more and it hurts. You're the only one who can relieve me of this pain which is rather ironic because you're a doctor." He chuckled and got into bed.

"I know I'll never know the joy of waking up by your side. I know I'll never be able to taste your lips and feel your hair in my hands. I know I'll never get to hold you and stand by your side the way I'd like. I know all these things are just in my head," He laid back and dimmed the lights, his heart racing along with his mind, "but I still can't help but believe that someday we'll be together. Whenever, wherever that someday is, I know it's wonderful. So, Beverly, let me get you another drink and bring that someday a little closer." But he never said any of it to her at Ten Forward, like he wished. He just went to bed, dreaming of quenching a thirst that his lips would always be dry for.

As Beverly got into bed, she was having her own regrets of what she didn't say or didn't do.

As she undressed and got into bed, she rolled onto her side, facing where Odan has once laid.

"Jean-Luc, I know we've been friends for so long, that we've grown so close. It's always felt so natural to me." She muttered into the darkness. "When Jack died, you were there for me, I know it's wrong of me to have strong feelings for you but I do have them. I have to battle with them every day. And when I met Odan, I was almost able to forget about you. Almost. Even with him, I thought of you and it became hard for me to see you so I avoided you and when Odan left, I felt as though I couldn't seek you out anymore." She licked her lips and closed her eyes. "I felt like I had wronged you in some way, that my relationship with Odan had jeopardized the one I had with you, even if it's not what I really want. I'm selfish for wanting more..."

Beverly turned and laid on her back now. "I know it's futile for me to try and replicate what you and I have, you're someone special to me and I was wrong to push you away. In a way, I do hope we can go back to the way we were. I may want more but...for now I'd rather give you a piece of my heart, knowing you won't break it, if you didn't know you have it." She muttered and drifted off to sleep. Jean-Luc and Beverly had already given each other so much of their hearts, it was perhaps why they were still so drawn to another, craving something they deem impossible, when in reality, they were unavoidable.

At some point, they would be able to drink, laugh, and live a grand life together, just as their hearts intended.


End file.
